Button-fastening machine.



F. R. WHITE.

BUTTON FASTENING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 7. I917.

Patented June 26, 1917.

WITNESSES IIVVENTOR V E'anilin ZiW/z iie. 61 Mm By F. R. WHITE.

BUTTON FASTENING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I. 1917.

1,230,965., Patented June 26,1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

F. R. WHITE.

BUTTON FASTENING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. z. 1917.

Patented June 26, 1917.

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BUTTON FASTENING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. z, 1917. 1,230,965. Patented June 26,1917.

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FRANKLIN R. WHITE, OF WATERBUBY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR T0 THE PATENT BUTTON COMPANY, OF WATEBBURY, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CON- NECTICUT.

BUTTON -FASTEN ING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 7,1917. Serial No. 147,037.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN R. WHrrn, a citizen of the United States, and a res1- dent of Waterbury, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have made and invented certain new and useful Improvements in Button-Fastening Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to button fastening machines, and particularly to that type illustrated and described in the patent granted to Frank A. Miner, No. 1,140,474, dated May 25, 1915. In this type of machine, as previously constructed, considerable difliculty was experienced, due to the shifting and turning of the button head after it had reached, and was deposited upon, the raising plunger. A slight shifting or turning of th button head moved the loop shank out of the proper plane and prevented the formation of the wire-attaching ring therethrough. A further objection to this type of machine was that oftentimes the wire, instead of being formed into the desired helical ring, would become doubled upon itself, entangled, or the end of the wire would be driven downwardly out of the wire-forming chamber. This in a large measure was caused by the presence of shoulders and prongs extending in the wire-forming chamber defined between the mandrel and die.

It is accordingly an object of my invention to provide suitable means extending over the plunger, so that the button, With its loop shank, is guided to proper position to and upon the plunger and is so held during the initial upward movement thereof.

A further object is to provide the outer wall of the ring-forming chamber with a helical groove or thread, so that the wire, traveling in the said helical groove, arranges itself in the form of a helical ring with the convolutions thereof in proper position. A further object is to so construct the die and mandrel between which the button fastening ring is formed, and so design the ring ejector that an unobstructed path is provided for the wire within the ringforming chamber and an entire absence of shoulders and ledges is maintained. To this end, I have provided the mandrel with a central opening in which the ejector travels, there being suitable slots communicating with the central opening in the mandrel in which a cross-bar travels which engages and ejects the fastening ring and attached button. A further feature of my invention is the provision of a cutting knife operating within one of the ejector slots in the mandrel, allowing the one extremity of the fastening ring to be inwardly bent, as well as severed, so that the fastening ring may sub-' sequently be easily removed or reattached to the button head.

A further feature is the provision of the ejector slot and the knife-receiving slot in exact diametrical alinement in the mandrel and die, and, further, arranging the opening through which the ring-forming wire is fed to the ring-forming chamber tangential thereto, at the point in the mandrel and die through which the knife-receiving slot passes. This location and arrangement of parts prevents the occurrence of shoulders or ledges against which the end of the ringforming wire could become entangled or engaged.

With these and other objects in view, and with an aim to simplify and improve the construction and operation of this type of button-attaching machine, as will hereinafter more fully appear, I have provided the machine and several cooperating parts thereof, as disclosed in their preferred embodiment in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of my improved button-attaching machine;

Fig. 2 is a view in frontxelevation thereof, the upper portion of the button feeding mechanism being omitted;

Fig. 3 is a view in top plan of the front portion of my improved button attaching machine;

Fig. 4 is a fragmental view in vertical section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3, the button ejecting mechanism being in its lowered position;

Fig. 5 is a view in vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3 and 5-5 of Fig.

Patented June 26, 1917.

1, the ejecting mechanism being in its low- "the shank protruding. into the fastener forming chamber, the wire fastener being in the process of formation;

Fig. 7 is a view in vertical section taken on the line 77 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a View in vertical section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 11, illustrating the wire-feeding tube communicating with the fastener-forming chamber,

Fig. 9 is a view in vertical section taken on the line 99 of Fig. 11, the ring fastener being complete, and the cutter in the act of severing the formed ring from the.

Fig. 13 is a detail view in perspective illustrating the attached button with the ring fastener.

Referring specifically to the several views,

my improved button-attaching machine is formed with the base 10, upwardly from which project the front column 11 and rear column 12, the two being connected by a cross-arm 13. Mounted upon the rear column is the button feeding mechanism 14,

the same including a hopper 15, with which communicates the button chute 16. A link 17 is connected to, and adapted to operate, the button feeding mechanism, the former being in turn connected to a rocker arm 18, the operations of which latter are more fully hereinafter described. A button escapement mechanism19 (Figs. 2 and 3) is mounted upon the button chute 16 and is arranged to singly release the buttons contained within the button chute. The button feeding mechanism and chute are so designed that the buttons, traveling down the chute, have their heads contained within the undercut recess 20 of the chute (Fig. 4) and their loop shanks 21 contained within the upwardly opening slot 22, the plane of the loop shanks being in the direction of the length of the slot, so that the button heads are accordingly held against rotation about their shorter axes.

Motion to operate the various mechanisms of my button attaching machine is derived from the drive or power pulley 23. In order to prevent wear upon this drive pulley 23,

an idle Pulley 24 may be provided, but may be omitted if desired. A positive clutch 25 is adapted to engage the power pulley 23 and to positively connect the same to a gear 26. The gear 26 meshes with, and drives, a second gear 27 which is mounted upon, and rigidly fastened to, the main shaft 28. In

order to actuate the button feeding mechanism, a peripheral or slotted cam 29 is mounted upon the main shaft 28, and oscillates the rocker arm 30 which is connected to the rocker arm 18 by a link 31. The button. escapement mechanism is also operated by the cam 29, in this instance the cam being constructed to operate as a face cam 32, and oscillate a rocker arm 33 which is connected to the button feeding mechanism by the link 34. The construction of the button escapement mechanism is such that a single button is released during each complete revolution of the main shaft 28.

The button chute 16, as illustrated in Fig.

4, is adapted to deliver buttons down to and upon a reciprocating plunger 35. The upper extremity of this plunger or button inserter is recessed as at 36, so as to receive the button therein, with the loop shank thereof projecting upwardly for insertion through the material to which the button is to be secured. In order to prevent the button from becoming turned, and the plane of the loop shank rotated out of proper position after the button has been deposited upon the plunger, 1 have provided a pair of jaws 37, the same being pivotally secured at their lower extremities to the plunger receptacle 38 by the pivot pins 39. The upper extremities of the jaws are formed as confronting blocks 40, which extend over the upper extremity of the plunger when the latter is in its lowered position. These confronting blocks are normally held spaced apart, a distance slightly greater than the slot 22 in the button chute and define an opening 41 registering with the slot in the chute and adapted to receive the loop shank 21 of the button therein and hold the same in fixed position. The jaws are held in this position by resilient member 42, fastened to the under surface of the table 43 by a set screw or other analogous fastening means 4:4. The table 43 similar to the plunger receptacle 38. is supported by the front column 11 of the machine frame. The jaws 37 are provided with the undercut button-receiving recesses +5, so that the button may be readily passed from the end of the button chute between the jaws and down to and upon the plunger 35. In order that the jaws will be withdrawn as the plunger is raised thereabove, these jaws, which form the means for guiding the button to proper seated position upon the plunger, are

provided with the curved lower surfaces 46. which, upon receiving the edges of the cylindrical plunger therea'gainst, cause the jaws to assume the tilted position illustrated in Fig. 7. The resilient arms t2 hold the jaws against the sides of the plunger until the same is lowered, at which time they return to their original position illustrated in Fig. 5, for the proper guidance and maintenance of a button to and uponthe plunger. The

plunger 35 is forcibly raised, held in a raised position, and then returned, by means of a heart-shaped cam l7, mounted upon the main shaft 28, the cam slot l8 being illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, in which slot is positioned a roller 49 carried by a projection 50 from the plunger. In connection with the above, it is to be noted that the jaws 37 hold the button in proper position upon the plunger and prevent it from being disturbed during the time the button machine is not in operation. As will be presently explained, the last cycle of each operation of the machine is the depositing of a button upon. the plunger so as to be in position for the next operation of the machine, and the presence of the jaws 37 prevents the button from becoming knocked or jarred from the plunger. 3

In order to form the helical wire ring through and upon the loop shank of the button, and which serves as a fastener therefor, I provide the ring-forming chamber 51, the same consisting of a die 52, in which is located a stationary mandrel 53. -Wire stock 54 is fed to the ring-forming chamber by the feed rollers 55, (Fig. 3) the upper of which rollers is carried upon a springpressed arm 55'. These rollers are actuated by a pair of meshing gears 56, more clearly illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5. The feed rollers are provided with grooves 57 which engage the wire stock and forcibly feed the same as the feed rollers are rotated through the intervention of the meshing gears 56. A ratchet 58 is carried by one of the gears and operates in conjunction with the arm 59 and spring-pressed pawl 60. A link 61 connects the pawl-carrying arm 59 with the rocker arm 30. Each rotation of the main shaft will cause the feed rollers to be actuated, and a predetermined amount of wire stock fed into the ringforming chamber. The wire stock is contained within a drum 62, passes through a recess 63 cut in the cross arm 13, passes between the feed rollers 55, and is fed through the front column '1 l of the frame of the machine, through a tube 63. The block 64 in which the ring-forming chamber is contained, is secured to the column Ill by the holding screws 65. The ring-forming chamber which extends through the block 64. is preferably formed with a hardened bushing 66, the inner surface of which defines the outer wall of the ring-forming chamber. This outer wall 67 of the ringforming chamber, is provided with a helical groove or thread 68, the same forming a helical guideway for the reception of the wire-forming stock, and insuring the proper coiling of the wire as it is fed into and passes around thering-forming chamber.

This helical groove not only insures the proper coiling of the wire, but prevents the hardened mandrel 53 is held in position in the ring-forming chamber, by the set screw or other equivalent means 69, and is pro vided with the reduced lower and mandrelforming extremity 7Q, the same, in connection with the die or bushing 52. defining an annular space or ring-forming chamber. The die and mandrel 52 and 53 are notched as at 71, forming a button shank-receiving receptacle which is adapted to receive the loop shank 21 of the button thereon and hold the same in a radial plane with regard to the button-receiving chamber, so that the wire, as it is forced around the annular ringforming chamber, passes through the loop shank of the button and so becomes attached thereto. The button shank-receiving recess in the ring-forming chamber is positioned directly above the plunger, so that the upward movement of the latter carries the shank within the said recess and holds it so positioned until the ring-forming cycle has been completed. In order that the wire stock will be fed exactly tangential to the annular ring-forming chamber, and that the wire will seat within the helical guideway, I provide the block 64 with the tapering tube 63', which fits within alined recesses 7 3 in the block and in the frame 11.

A reciprocating cutter 7 4 is provided and travels within the opening provided therefor in the block 64. The side wall of the ring-forming chamber is provided with the opening 7 6, through which the extremity of the cutter. travels, and the mandrel is provided witha radially extending recess 89, into which the extremity of the cutter extends during the severing operation. The cutter is operated by a cam 78 mounted upon the main shaft of the machine, which cam forcibly moves the rocker arm 79, the upper extremity of which contacts with the cutter and forcibly moves the same. In order to prevent the cutter from rotating about its own axis, suitable guideways 80 are provided in which the flattened head 81 of the cutter reciprocates. A spring 82 is containcd Within the guideways, and, impinging upon the head of the cutter, normally maintains the same in its retracted position, so that the wire stock may travel freely around the annular wire-forming chamber without interference from the cutter. By reference to Figs. 11 and 13, it will be observed that I have so formed the cutter that the severed extremity of the ring is provided with the inturned lip 83, and to this end I have formed the cutter with a beveled extremity 84.

The mandrel 53 is provided with the longitudinal opening 85, in which reciprocates the ejecting mechanism 86, the same being composed of the plunger 87 traveling within the longitudinal opening 85, and which is provided at its lower extremity with the cross-bar 88. This cross-bar travels within the radial slot 89 in the mandrel, which receives the extremity of the cutter therein, it being understood that the action of theejecting mechanism takes place subsequent .to' the action of the cutter. The cross-bar 88 extends across the annular ringforming chamber and forcibly ejects the wire ring, readily dislodging the same from the helical guideway in which it is formed. The utilization of a single slot for the reception of the cutter and the cross-bar, and .the presence of the helical guideways, insure an entire absence of ledges and shoulders in which the .wire stock might become entangled and accordingly provide for the correct and proper formation of a wire ring fastener at each and every operation of the machine. The upper extremity of the plunger 87 is provided with the head 90 against the under surface of which impinges a coil spring 91 whereby the ejecting mechanism is normally held in a raised position, preventing interference in the formation of the wire ring fastener. The cam 29 is provided with a disk cam surface 92, which, through the intervention of a rocker arm andlinks' 93, and a second rocker arm 94, forcibly depresses th plunger and so at the proper time ejects the fastening ring with its attached button. With the machine as thus constructed, its operation is substantially as follows:

Upon the actuation of the positive clutch 25, the details of which are unessential to the present disclosure, the main shaft 28 is forcibly driven through one complete rotation, after which the clutch is automatically released until again manually operated. The complete rotation of the main shaft produces the following cycles of operations: The rotation of the main shaft, operating through the cam 29, causes the button to be fed from the hopper 15 down into the button chute 16. Themreceding complete rotation of the main shaft has already, through the operation of the face cam 32, oscillated the button-releasing mechanism so that a button is located within .the buttonreceiving recesses upon the top of the plunger and is so held by the jaws 37. The plunger is then raised, forcing the holding jaws 37 I apart, forcibly driving the loo shank of the button through the materia to which the button is to be fastened, and moving the loop shank of the button into the receiving recess in the ring-forming chamber. The plunger is now held in its raised position, and the button shank maintained within the receiving recesses 71, during which time the feed rollers force the wire stock in and around the ring-forming chamber. The wire, in passing around the cation of the cutter 74, which is accomplished by the cam 78 and cooperating parts. The ejector mechanism bez' mg in a raised position, does not interfere with the formation of the wire coil, or the reciprocation of the cutter, which latter operation not only severs the wire stock, but inwardly bends the extremity thereof, forming a lip 83, materially'facilitating the securement of the wire fastener to the button shank after it has been removed therefrom. In the preferred embodiment of my machine, .the wire coil as formed thereby, consists of approximately one and three-quarter loops, although it will be readily apparent that the number of loops may be varied as desired. At or about the time the cutter is being reciprocated and the wire stock severed, the plunger 35 is lowered, which is accompanied by a return.

of the guiding jaws 37,'and the actuation of the button releasing mechanism, whereupon a second button is deposited upon .the receiving plunger for the next cycle of operation. Subsequent to the action of the cutter, the disk cam 92 operates the ejecting mechanism, whereupon .the plunger 87 is lowered, the cross-bar traveling downward through the ring-forming chamber, and, contacting with the ring fastener, forcibly ejects the same with its attached button.

What I claim is 2- 1. In an apparatus of the class described. the combination of a button fastener-forniing mechanism, a mechanism for receiving a button thereon and for thrusting the eyeshank of the button into said fastener-forming mechanism, including a traveling carriage, means extending above said traveling carriage adapted to guide a button to proper seated position thereon and to hold the eyeshank in proper position for insertion within the fastener-forming mechanism, and means whereby said button holding means are withdrawn as the traveling carriage is actuated.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a button feeding mechanism including a chute, a plunger located at the extremity of said chute and adapted to receive buttons therefrom, a button fastenerforming mechanism adapted to receive the eye-shank of the button therein upon the actuation of said plunger, and retractable jaws projecting over the said plunger and forming an extension of said chute for guiding buttons to proper seated position upon the plunger with the eye-shank of the button in the proper plane for insertion within the button fastener-forming mechanism,

3. In an apparatus of the class described,

means whereby said jaws are moved fromabove the plunger upon the actuation of the latter.

4. In an apparatus of the class described,.

the combination of mechanism for forming and applying a ring fastener to the eyeshank of a button, mechanism for inserting the eye-shank of a button into said fastenerforming mechanism, said fastener-forming mechanism including a chamber having a groove in the outer wall thereof for guiding a traveling wire through the eye-shank of a button and for forming the same into a ring.

5. A mechanism for forming ring fasteners for eye-shank buttons, comprising a ring forming chamber adapted to receive a traveling wire therein, with the outer wall of said chamber provided with a helical guideway adapted to guide the traveling wire into the form of a helical ring.

6. A mechanism for forming ring fasteners for eye-shank buttons, comprising a ring forming chamber including a die and a mandrel therein, the inner'wall of the die provided with a thread adapted to guide a traveling wire into a helical ring formation.

7. A mechanism for forming ring fastenerswfor eye-shank buttons, comprising a ring forming chamber including a die and a mandrel, the inner wall of the die provided with a groove adapted to guide a traveling wire into a helical ring formation, and a button eye-shank receiving recess communicating with said ring forming chamber adapted to receive the eye-shankof a button therein.

8. A mechanism for forming ring fasteners for eye-shank buttons, comprising an annular ring-forming chamber defined by a die and a mandrel, said mandrel provided with a longitudinal opening and a diametrical slot, and an ejecting mechanism traveling within the opening and slot within said mandrel. 1

9. A mechanism for forming ring fasteners for eye shank buttons, comprising an annular ring-forming chamber defined by a die with a mandrel therein, said mandrel provided with a longitudinal opening and a diametrical slot, an ejecting mechanism traveling within the opening and slot within said mandrel, and means for operating said ejector.

10. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a ring fastener forming mechanism including a die with an internal helical guideway adapted to guide a traveling wire into a helical coil or ring, means for cutting off the ring at a predetermined point in the helix, and cooperating mechanism for thrusting an eye-shank of a button into said ring fastener forming mechanism.

11. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a ring fastener forming mechanism including a die with an internal helical guideway adapted to guide a traveling wire into a helical coil or ring, means for cutting off the ring at a predetermined point in the helix, cooperating mechanism for thrusting an eye-shank of a button into said ring fastener forming mechanism, and an ejector adapted'to engage the helical ring fastener and force the same from said fastener-forming mechanism.

12. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a ringfastener forming mechanism including an internally threaded die for guiding a traveling wire into a helix, and a mandrel therein provided with a cross slot, an ejector traveling within said slot and adapted to force the ring fastener from between the die and mandrel, and a cutter traveling through an opening in said die and coiiperating with one extremity of the slot in the mandrel, and cooperating mechanism for thrusting the eye-shank of a button between said mandrel and die, and for feeding wire between said mandrel and die and for operating said cutter and ejector.

13. In a ring fastener formin mechanism for button machines, the comblnation of a ring-forming chamber, means for directing a traveling wire in the form of a helix therein, and a cutter with a beveled extremity adapted to sever the wire at a predetermined point and to inwardly bend the cut extremity thereof.

14. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a ring fastener forming mechanism, means for thrusting the eyeshank of a button into said fastener forming mechanism, a cutter cooperating with the fastener forming mechanism and arranged extremity and cooperating with one extremity of the cross slot in the mandrel, mechanism for thrusting the eye-shank of a button into said annular ring-forming chamber, and cooperating mechanism for feeding the traveling wire into said annular chamber, for actuating said cutter and for actuating said ejector.

16. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of button feeding and releasing mechanism including a chute, a plunger located at the extremity of said chute and adapted to receive buttons therefrom, means projecting above said plunger for guiding the button to proper seated position upon the plunger, and to maintain the eye-shank of the button in proper plane, means whereby said button guiding means are retracted as the plunger is raised, mechanism for forming ring fasteners mounted above said plunger, said mechanism including an annular chamber with a recess communicating therewith adapted to receive the eye-shank of a button thrust therein by said plunger, a die and mandrel defining said annular chamber with the inner wall of said die provided with a thread-like guideway, means for feeding a traveling wire to the said annular chamber and into the said thread-like guideway, said mandrel provided with a longitudinal opening and a cross slot, an ejector traveling within said longitudinal opening and cross slot and adapted to eject a formed ring with its attached button from said ring-forming mechanism, and a cutter with a beveled extremity cooperating with the cross" slot of the mandrel adapted to sever said traveling wire and to form an inwardly extending lip upon the one extremity of the formed ring fastener.

17. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a ring fastener-forming mechanism, and a cutter cooperating therewith to sever the wire within the fastenerforming mechanism, the extremity of said cutter and the cooperating parts of said fas- 

